Director: Tom Holland
Producer: David Kirschner
Writers: Tom Holland, Don Mancini, John Lafia
Stars: Alex Vincent, Catherine Hicks, Brad Dourif
CHILD’S PLAY (1988)
Chucky gets a bad rap—he’s the lowbrow equivalent of eighties slasher superstars like Michael and Jason. He’s more akin to Freddy—albeit with a fraction of his popularity—garish, silly-looking, and yet unsettling nonetheless. Truthfully, though, Chucky deserves props in his own right—he’s foul-mouthed, ugly as hell, and downright nasty. That would be more than enough for me—are you kidding? I was sold halfway through reading the synopsis on the back cover of the DVD—but for more discerning critics, the influence of the gothic and even the underlying social implications will supply a surprising amount of intellectual fodder.
When little Andy’s (Alex Vincent) sixth birthday rolls around, he wants nothing more than a Good Guy. It’s not a metaphor—the hottest toy in America is an overalled, ruddy-faced doll actually called “a Good Guy.” Unfortunately, Andy’s mother, Karen (Catherine Hicks) is supporting the family alone following Andy’s father’s death and cannot afford the grossly overpriced toy. When a homeless man approaches the back alley of the department store where she works peddling a beat-up doll at a discounted price, it seems like bona fide serendipity. What she could never have imagined is the spirit that lies within, and his thirst for revenge.
WILDERNESS 